Sunday, March 3, 2013

Week in Review: February 24 - March 2, Minnesota and Texas

 

This week’s blog comes to you from Cloquet, Minnesota where I’m caring for Mom while she recovers from a recent fall, and Rockport, Texas where Dick is playing at bachelorhood.

Minnesota:

Sunday, February 24 was a day of celebration and a family affair. My brother Ron and his wife Debby were here for the weekend, from Roseau, located in the NW corner of Minnesota, where he practices medicine.  After church we had a family dinner for an early celebration of Mom’s 92nd birthday (Friday, March 1). I fixed a wonderful pot roast with all the trimmings, and we had a Dairy Queen cake for dessert. My younger brother Rich, his wife Karen and my niece MacKenzie were there too, to celebrate.




We woke Monday to 16 degrees. By noon the temps had reached a balmy 39 degrees with bright sunshine. Senior Friend came to spend time with Mom at 10 a.m., so I disappeared to WalMart for a while. It’s easier for them to retain consistency with Mom when I’m not there.  They come in 3 days per week, for a couple of hours each time, to keep Mom company, do her laundry, clean house, and anything else that needs doing.
Tuesday was another special day for Mom. Her brothers and sisters (and anyone else available) get together in Duluth at the Red Lobster for lunch every couple of months, to celebrate any birthdays. This lunch was for her – and for her two youngest brothers who had birthdays recently, as well. What a fun time! There were 9 of us there including 4 of her siblings, but sometimes as many as 25 have attended.  That afternoon Mom and I started a jigsaw puzzle, Noah’s Gathering.



Wednesday and Thursday were pretty quiet on the home front. Temperatures rose to the high 30s by noon, but dipped into the teens at night. As on Monday and Tuesday, MacKenzie joined us after school for a few hours on Wednesday. Thursday afternoon I took Mom to Duluth for a visit with her cardiologist as a follow-up to her heart attack of a few years ago. All her vitals are excellent, and she walked unassisted for 600 steps. Could've gone longer but she called a halt saying that it was a waste of time. Ornery ol' Swede...ha! When we got home I made chocolate chip cookies. She ate 6 of them, the last 2 when she thought I wasn't looking.  Good grief!  Just like a little kid! Her injury is healing so well. The scar continues to fade. Hard to believe it happened just 3 weeks ago. Of course she doesn't remember what happened, and every time she looks in the mirror it's a new experience for her. 

Friday was Mom’s 92nd birthday. I made caramel pecan rolls for breakfast – YUMMY -- and beef vegetable soup later in the day. I took Mom and MacKenzie to Applebee's for dinner, to celebrate Mom. She was duly embarrassed by the happy birthday song sung to her but did enjoy her complimentary hot fudge sundae! MacKenzie and her Chihuahua Dolce spent the night.



Saturday dawned with the thermometer reading 0 degrees. Brrrr!!!!  I made my special French toast for breakfast, and served sausage and citrus salad alongside. YUMMY!  By noon it was 32 degrees and sunny—actually quite lovely. We spent the afternoon playing Aggravation, giving and receiving foot and hand massages. What a nice way to spend the afternoon with two of my favorite gals.  MacKenzie and Dolce again spent the night. A perfect evening to end a perfect week.

Texas:

Dick spent another “lonely” week in Texas. He says he’ll be glad when I get back to him.

Temps are a little different in Texas. Sunday dawned sunny and 55 degrees, with temps reaching the mid-60s by noon. He went to the 2nd service at Rockport First Baptist Church, followed by lunch at WhataBurger (Texas’ claim to hamburger fame!). Our good friends and RV neighbors Marvin and Shirley shared a pasta dinner with him that night.  I don’t think he’s going hungry!

Monday was a very windy day, with gusts up to70 mph. Dick did walk along the beach, but it was a struggle! Temperatures reached the low 70s with sunshine all day.

By Tuesday the winds had died down, so Dick rode the motorcycle to old town Rockport's Heritage District to photograph the historic homes and business in the area.













With time drawing short for spending time with Marvin and Shirley (they leave Friday), he spent the afternoon outside with them, enjoying their friendship. That evening Dick attended a dinner meeting at the clubhouse regarding MASA (Medical Air Services Association), a thirty-five year old established international organization that is dedicated to providing its members with lifesaving, emergency assistance while they’re at home, on the job, or traveling the world. Here’s a link to their website:  www.masaassist.com/

Dick has spent a few days reviewing our taxes, as tax day looms. Wednesday was no different. After walking along Fulton Beach Road, he spent the afternoon outside enjoying the weather, reading and meeting new RV neighbors. That night he attended the weekly clubhouse dinner; this week it was Japanese. He’s being fed!

Thursday came with cool temperatures (48 degrees in the morning, warming just to 60 degrees by 4 p.m.).  He walked along Fulton Beach Road for about an hour, our usual walk. That evening he took Marvin and Shirley out to Panjo’s for pizza, as a farewell dinner. They’re all packed and ready to head out early Friday morning. Shirley said that Marvin will need to wake her up early if he wants to be on the road by 7:30 (she’s enjoyed sleeping in!).

By 7:15 Friday morning, Dick heard Marvin’s big Freightliner truck getting ready to pull out. They pull a 40’ King of the Road 5th wheel, so Dick says it’s quite a “train!” We’ll really miss them, as they’ve become very good friends, but we plan to stop at Carterville, IL to see them in April, on our return trip to Minnesota. The day warmed to 75 degrees, just perfect for sitting outside and reading.

Saturday, Dick woke to 48 degrees outside; he had run out of propane during the night so the trailer was quite chilly. He spent a good portion of the day working on our trip north. We plan to leave Rockport on April 8, heading north to arrive in Minnesota the first part of May. (Can hardly believe we will have been gone from Tacoma for a year by then!)

I’ll be heading back to Texas on Wednesday this week, to warmer weather. Snow is supposed to arrive tomorrow, with accumulations up to 4” by the time it subsides on Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed: Wednesday is supposed to be sunny, the day I fly out!

Hope this finds you well. We’re lovin’ this nomad life!

Hugs,
Dick and Gail

No comments:

Post a Comment